


Volunteer Librarians and Small Towns

by CaptainNonsense



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angst, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Librarians, Libraries, M/M, Music, Small Towns, more tags to come, volunteers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-12 07:25:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11732331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainNonsense/pseuds/CaptainNonsense
Summary: In Which Keith is a stranger, who's been harboring hurt and angst his entire life, in a small town and Lance is a college student, with a secret, visiting home for the summer.





	1. New Faces in the Orange Grove Library

The metal cart that Lance pushed around had definitely seen better days. Every scratch, every creak, and every groan made by the bowing wheels was a reminder of this. The books in the cart he was pushing around had definitely seen better days as well. Through the years they had been reduced to nothing more than bundles of yellowed pages, and fraying dust covers. This was the nature of everything in the library, and even in the library itself, but Lance liked to think that’s what gave it its charm. Orange Grove Library was a severely underfunded, severely run down branch nestled behind a bar and hardware store; It never saw the light of day. The Library was falling apart and probably had nothing copyrighted past 1998, but that's the way it had always been and Lance liked it that way. 

It was the morning of June the first and the temperature had already racked up to a humid eighty-five degrees, and it only planned on sky rocketing further. Lance sweated through his t-shirt as he pushed the heavy cart overflowing with Harlequin romance novels. The start of this summer had marked his tenth consecutive year as a volunteer librarian. Lance would admit, he was a little bit of a nerd; What started as a mandatory community service project for his boy scout troop turned into, a this point, a ten year endeavor that he did by choice. Lance saw the need of the library and the community, even if half of Orange Grove didn’t realize their branch was still standing, and the other half really would rather take the extra twenty minute drive to go to the much nicer, much more expansive branch in the next town over. Lance had grown up here, and felt that he had a duty to carry out as long as he could. This is the thing that kept him going through the long summers of stifling heat and no air condition. 

Lance’s mind wandered as he shelved the books. He knew every novel, every magazine, and every picture book in the place, he had shelved them all a hundred times over. As he organized the shitty romance novels, he couldn't help but scoff at the covers. Every one of them had bad art featuring an overly muscular guy with long flowing hair with bad word art superimposed over the whole mess. Why did the guys always have long flowing hair? Lance could not see how that was attractive at all. Despite all this, it didn’t stop him from pausing on the ones that caught his eye and reading the back cover. Maybe once in awhile he’d read the first page or two, and if, if and only if, the first few pages were decent (they hardly were) he would skip and read the sex scene. It was always around a hundred pages in; adequate time for the angst between the two main characters to brew and come to a boil. It was predictable and formulaic every single damn time. 

Lance would readily admit that he was a nerd, but never would he admit that he was the secret hopeless romantic that he was. He scoffed at the romance books that he loved to hate, but he always yearned for his own love story. It was quite frustrating really, that in his almost nineteen years of existence, he never once found love despite loving the concept of love. Not only that, but he always thought he fit the aesthetic to a T. A Somewhat lonely, somewhat attractive teen spending their summers in a rundown library in a rundown,small town. That was the set up to every other romance movie; Now all he needed was an attractive stranger to run into him and set off a, perfectly imperfect, chain reaction of events that would send his life spiraling. In the end he would end up with a significant other, and a love story to trump the hundreds on the shelves before him.  

He sighed and picked up another book. This one was called  _ Loveless Days and Passionate Nights _ where frazzled main character Jessica, “Single with two kids and still beautiful”, runs into a moody, maverick detective who learns to love her and her unique life. Lance raised a brow. This one actually had more to it than the others he had seen. Was this new? He hadn’t seen this one before. Had the Orange Grove Library actually gotten a new book after like twenty years? Lance opened to the first page, and leaned against the cool metal of the shelves. He was just getting to the numerous reasons why Jessica had been so unlucky in love when he heard someone clear their throat behind him. Lance felt his face instantly heat up. He quickly turned around with the book behind his back. “O-oh, hello! How can I help you?”

The person who cleared their throat didn’t look amused. “Are you finding everything okay today, fellow patron?” he asked.  _ Patron. _ Patron? Who was this guy calling him a ‘Patron’? Didn’t he know that Lance practically ran this place?

“...Patron?”

The guy either didn’t hear him, or chose to ignore Lance. He began picking up the pile of books Lance left on the floor so he didn’t have to walk back and forth from shelves to cart. “Excuse me, I don’t want to seem rude, but please do refrain from throwing the books on the floor if you are done with them. It makes the job harder for the volunteers who help maintain our branch.” The guy gave him a cold customer service smile. Lance looked at him like he had grown a second head. He seriously had no idea who Lance was? Lance, the guy who had helped keep the library from going into disarray for the past ten years. Lance the guy who had spearheaded and organized all community events and fundraisers for their library. Lance, the guy with pictures of him from every event and volunteer recruitment, since he was the age of five, plastered all over the main office. Lance, the guy who was given his own official silver name tag, like the ones the other real librarians wore, because he had dedicated so much time to their branch. All of this and the guy bending over to pick up the books still didn’t know who he was. More importantly, Lance wondered who  _ this guy  _ was. He had never seen him in his life, and Orange Grove was the smallest town in their state.  _ What the hell?  _

“Um, excuse me?”

He stood up with his arms full of the harlequin paperbacks. “Yes?”

“Do you know who I am?” The look that this guy gave Lance was one mixed with confusion and disdain. Even with the ugly emotions displayed on his face, Lance did have a fleeting thought regarding how attractive this, rude, stranger was. Except, he had weird hair. Was that seriously a mullet?

“I’m afraid I don’t. Should I know who you are?”

Lance couldn’t believe it There wasn’t a single person in town he didn’t know and who didn't at least know his name. “The name’s Lance.”

The guy looked at him with a blank expression. “Lance McClain? Ring a bell?” He waited for a response that never came. “Whatever, that isn’t important. What’s more important, is what your name is. I’ve never seen you around these parts before.”

The stranger hauled the books onto the nearest empty shelf and held out his hand. “I’m Keith. Keith Kogane.” Lance was met with a firm handshake, and an air of, what he thought was, condescension. “It’s nice to meet you,  _ Lance _ , but I still don’t know who you are.”

Lance wasn’t going to begin to show his hurt to this arid stranger. In fact, there was something bubbling in him to be just as arid back. It was almost like a friendly competition. He shrugged, “It’s alright. You new around here,  _ Keith?”  _ Lance matched Keith’s tone as he said his name. 

“Could say that.” He responded with a quirked brow. Lance looked down and playfully flicked Keith’s volunteer lanyard.

“How long have you been a volunteer?”

“About five months.” Keith responded sans emotion. Even his face was an expressionless slate. 

“So you’ve been in our office then?”

“Yes-”

“And what about the break room? Back room? What about the Community and Friends room?”

“Yes, yes, and yes. Is this an interrogation?”

“Keith, never did you once see the pictures of me in the office, my name on the volunteer board in the Community and Friends Room, or the lockers in the break room? I mean, you can’t really miss mine. It says my name in giant letters, and it’s plastered in Voltron stickers.”  Keith was at a loss, and Lance internally congratulated himself at being able to draw out another expression than indifference on Keith’s face. Plastered on his pale features was utter confusion.

“Um, I am not quite sure what you’d like me to say in this situation?” Keith managed. Lance opened his mouth, but was interrupted by an excited voice behind him. 

“Lance! Welcome back!” A middle aged woman in a bright yellow smock dress came over to the boys. She gave Lance a crushing hug. “How are you, my dear?”

Lance laughed into her shoulder she shoved him into. “I’m good! It’s nice to see you!” She pulled back and sternly looked Lance in the eye.

“Boy, it better be nice to see me. I haven’t seen you since your winter break. Hell, I better be a sight for sore eyes!” Her bit broke after Lance flashed her his award winning grin.

“Oh, but of course Ms. Williams.” She laughed it off, with a wave of a hand.

“I didn’t think you’d come to the library so early, and on your first day back! How long you’ve been here?”

“Most of the morning. Phil let me in.”

“Well, If I had known you’d be back today I would have properly introduced you to Keith.” She looked back at Keith and vaguely gestured over to him, “I see you’ve met already though.” Lance looked back towards Keith with a grin. “Yeah, we have.”

“Keith joined the team mid-January. You actually just missed him the last time you were here. I wouldn’t say he’s your replacement, but it’s been nice to have someone else around while you’re off at your fancy school.” Lance momentarily winced, but Ms. Williams said none of this with malice, but instead with pride. She beamed up at Lance, and it was obvious that she was proud of him. Keith observed, as Lance quickly put on another smile, with slight interest. 

“How’s that treating you by the way?” She asked, and Keith noticed the fleeting grimace was back on Lance’s face. 

“Uh, good. Lots of tests. Lots of papers. The usual.” He shrugged with his hands now in his pockets. 

“Good. We can’t have that brain of yours going to waste now can we?” Ms. Williams ran her fingers across of of the dusty shelves next to her. “You know, Lance, you’ll be the one to make it out of Orange Grove. Just you wait.” Lance laughed and scratched the back of his head.

“That’s the goal.”

“Good, good. Now, do you want to help me get the party supplies out of the storage closet?”

“Oh, are we hosting a community event soon?” Lance asked.

Ms. Williams smirked. “Yeah, we’re actually throwing a surprise party for a student coming home from his first year of university. Know anything about it?”

“Not a damn thing.”

“That’s my boy!”

Lance and Keith help Ms. Williams unload the closet, and dump everything into the Community and Friends Room. Lance reached into a box to grab the blue streamers but was slapped away from Ms. Williams. “No, you don’t get to help decorate your own party!”

“What?”

“Yes!” She began pushing Lance out the door, “Now go alphabetize the carts or something.”

“Okay okay okay!” he laughed with his hands up in surrender, and Keith followed them out of the room. The door to the C&R room was shut in their faces.

“Welp.” Lance turned to Keith and noticed he had been really quiet for the past several minutes. “Keith?”

Keith was in disbelief. He wondered how he was able to be so stupid. The librarians talked about when Lance was coming home that summer for months. He always filed that information in the back of his mind, and he never actually thought the day would come. Keith imagined their talks about Lance as some hyped up arrival of a god. They put him so highly on a pedestal when they spoke of him. He saw the cute little boy in the all the pictures, but never would have associated the little kid with guy in front of him. Keith sighed and felt a blush of embarrassment break out over his face. He held out his hand once more, “I’m Keith, and I’m an idiot.”

The shit-eating grin that Lance flashed him made Keith instantly regret is reintroduction. He shook his hand. “It’s alright, Mullet Man. With me by your side, you’ll know everything there is to know by the end of the summer.” With the new nickname that was donned upon him, Keith knew that this was going to be an interesting summer to say in the least. 

******

Lance and Keith were in the backroom alphabetizing the books to be reshelved. It was a mundane task where in doing it over and over caused letters to blur together to the point where one had to sing the alphabet in their head just to remember whether m came before n, and the whole ordeal eventually brought the question of why the order of the alphabet was the way it was. It was arbitrary, really. 

"So Keith, what brings you to Orange Grove?" Lance shoved the last name Monroe between Marbury and Murdock.    
"When you and other people around here say 'Orange Grove' like that, it makes me kinda worried."  
"How long you've been here?"  
"Six months."   
Lance chuckled, shook his head, and said, "I'll give it some more time."  To which Keith only responded with a confused side glance. "So really, what brings you to our small town?"  
Keith shrugged as he combed through all the last names starting with P. "Rent's cheap here. Cheapest in state."  
"Yeah, that's because no one’s itching to live here." Lance snorted.  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah, you're  the first stranger to blow through these parts in awhile."   
"Hm."

Lance didn’t understand. Everyone he had ever met was quick to warm up to him; He  was outgoing, easy to talk to, and funny as hell, but this didn’t stop the wall of coldness and clipped, short responses from Keith. This in a way irked Lance, and he wasn’t sure why. For the past few hours he had been working with Keith, Lance was torn between an urge to match Keith’s uninterested tone in the spirit of competition, and to do everything in his power to get a real interaction out of him. Lance tried to get another conversation going again. “How do you like our little town? Been to Harvey’s yet? What about the bridge over on Creek Street? Oh my god, please tell me you’ve been to Maria’s Pastries! It’s the best cake around!”

This was the first time Keith had heard of any of those places. Keith looked wide eyed, and blankly back at Lance, book still in hand, and shook his head in confusion. “I, uh-” Keith’s face told Lance everything and he was incredulous.

“You’ve been here half a year, and you haven’t bothered to see our town? Which is extremely small, might I add?”

Keith sighed in what looked like frustration. Exhaustion? Annoyance? Maybe it was a combination of all three. “I’ve been...busy. Okay?”

“Busy? Busy with what?”

“With stuff that isn’t any of your concern! Are we doing this interrogation thing again?”

“I think we might have to!” Lance laughed, “You’re insufferable, Mullet Man.”

Keith snorted, and moved lower in the alphabet to stand a little farther from Lance. “And do you give bad nicknames to all the people you just meet? Or is that just me?”

“Well, with a hair cut like that- It’s unavoidable, really.” Lance said with false drama in his voice as he draped himself across the metal carts. 

Keith looked at him. Really looked at him. Dark hair framing the deeply tanned skin of a pointed face that still suggested his boyish youth. He wasn’t quite grown yet. His dark blue eyes were bright, and he had a blindingly attractive smile. Keith could see how it could draw people in. Lance was a celestial body that had a certain gravitational pull, and it had all other people beat. Keith shook his head in disbelief. “You’re really something else, aren’t you?”

“One and only, baby!” Lance winked and shot him double finger pistols. Keith internally cringed at his dorkiness. 

“You’re a dork.”

“I’ve been called worse.” Lance shrugged.

“Trust me, I could imagine.” Keith said, quickly looking back down at the books, but not quick enough for Lance to not notice his small smile. Lance beamed, it was progress. 

They finished alphabetizing the entire room of carts, and then went on to reshelve everything in a comfortable silence. Keith was pushing the last empty cart into the back room, when Lance decided to break the silence. “Listen, before you start hating Orange Grove, like everyone else who’s sensible, you need to at least see and visit the places worth going to.”

“What?”

“It makes sense! I’ve done and seen all the interesting things we have, and I still got my ass as far away from here as possible when I had the chance. You can’t develop a negative opinion on this place until you’ve gotten the whole experience. It’s only fair.”

“And what do these “interesting” things include exactly?” Keith said a little wearily.

“Oh I got a list, and we start today.”

Keith took a deep breath. This was  _ definitely  _ going to be an interesting summer. 

 

  
  
  


  
  



	2. Orange Grove’s own Boo Radley

The grandfather clock struck three o'clock and the temperature peaked at a sweltering ninety-eight degrees, when Lance decided to call it a day. All windows and doors in the library were open in a vain attempt at relieving the suffocating heat, and every so often a fleeting breeze would carry in the warm smell of citrus from the orange grove that was just outside of town. Lance poked his head into the office where he found Keith reassembling dust covers. “Hey you ready to go?”Keith looked up,

“Go?”

“I said I was going to take you around Orange Grove, didn’t I?” Keith sighed, he had half hoped Lance was kidding. That he only said that to be nice. 

“I guess.” He said putting down the tape. 

“Wow, don’t look so morose about it.” Keith responded by rolling his eyes. “Hey! Don't roll your eyes at me! Consider yourself lucky. You, Keith Kogane, will personally be escorted by the town’s hunk. Consider it a date!" Lance winked.   
Keith snorted, "The town’s hunk? That's a pretty high mark you've put yourself at."  
"It's not that hard when it's a town of about fifteen hundred." Keith laughed. Genuinely laughed. It wasn't like the sarcastic scoffs Lance had been receiving all day. Lance liked to think he was the man of the people. He liked guys and gals, but when Keith showed such genuine emotion, for the first time, Lance solely thought about how attractive he was. Below Keith's cool exterior was a rare,gorgeous smile and flashing violet eyes framed by a perfect complexion of ivory skin. Lance was beginning to rethink this last statement about being the town’s hunk. Keith could easily sweep that title out from under his feet.

“Wow, you actually said something funny.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Keith didn’t respond, but just threw Lance a sly smile. 

“Whatever, man, you just can’t appreciate the fact that I am a comical genius!”

“Oh, so that’s what you’re calling it?”

“I’m calling it that, because that’s what it is!” 

“Okay, whatever you say.”

Lance jingled his keys, “Yeah, yeah, let’s go.” Lance nearly bolted out the door. He reminded Keith of an excited puppy. So full of energy, probably always in need of attention or supervision, but also so full of life and probably love to give. At least, that’s what he assumed. He stood for a moment in the office, looking out the door Lance ran out of. With a deep breath Keith grabbed his things, and decided to follow him out. 

Lance was waiting for Keith in the parking lot next an old blue pickup Truck. Just like everything else in the town, it too had seen better days. Lance threw his stuff in the back, "Get in, Loser!"  
Keith prodded one of the dusty tires with his sneaker. “Is this thing even legal to drive around? It’s _ancient!_ ” 

Lance leaned out of the car window, “Hey! Don’t bash on Blue!”

“Blue?” Keith asked incredulously.

“Blue!” Lance patted the side of his car, “she may not look too pretty but she’ll get you from point a to b in one piece.” 

Keith grimaced at Lance in uncertainty, and unskillfully climbed into the elevated truck. He looked like a child using the thread bare, and cigarette hole burn seats to haul himself up.

“What in the hell are you doing?” Lance asked. He was trying to hold back a smile while he watched Keith claw at the seat.

“Getting into your old ass car!” Keith said in annoyance.

“Dude, just use the handlebar on the side!” Keith looked up, and sure enough there was a handy dandy handlebar, right above his head, that could have made the whole situation a whole a lot easier and a whole lot less embarrassing.

“Thanks.” Keith mumbled as he hoisted himself up with the help of the handlebar. 

“Jesus Christ, You’ve never been in a truck before?”

Keith was surprised to find his cheeks warming up in embarrassment. Why did he care what Lance thinks? “Well no, excuse me for only getting into sensible vehicle choices.” Keith pointedly pouted and looked out the window in an attempt to hide the scarlet spill across his cheeks. 

“Oh yeah? Care to point out which one in the parking lot is yours, then?”

Keith proudly pointed to the sorry looking Honda Civic, with a shit red paint job, poorly parked in the corner. Lance whistled,

“ _ Wow _ , you paint that yourself?” his voice dripped in sarcasm.

Keiths blush grew darker. “Yeah I did.” 

“I can tell.” Lance laughed. “The paint job is shit, but hey it matches your face.” Keith gave him a dirty look, with the scarlet spill fully engulfing his entire face.

“Whatever, just start your dusty ass car. And let's go.”

“Don’t be salty because you know it’s true.” Keith rolled his eyes, and slumped into the passenger seat. Lance turned the key into the ignition and Blue tried to spur to life with painful metal on metal sputtering sounds. On Lance’s fifth time twisting the key the engine kicked into full effect, humming in annoyance and slightly shaking the cabin. Keith looked to Lance with eyebrows raised and slightly concerned. “Fifth time’s a charm?” Lance responded and laughed nervously.

They pulled out of the library parking lot and started down the single main road.

“So Keith, what parts of Orange Grove  _ have _ you been to.”

“I’ve been to the grocery store, the library, gas station, and laundromat.”

“So only the necessities then?”

“Yes.” Keith watched the almost comical timing of all five places pass by Lance’s window. They happened to be all next to one another in the same shopping center. 

“Keith! You’ve only been down one street in town? Where do you even you live?”

“The Primrose apartment complex.” Keith said as he watched the old, brick, three story building pass by the window too.

“Great! So you’ve never been outside of the back corner of town,  _ and  _ you’re living in the haunted apartment complex. fantastic.”

“It’s not haunted!” Keith protested.

“Like hell it is! Listen, I’ve had  _ encounters  _ there. I’m not ever going back into that shoe box of a building.”

“Good, seeing you there would be worse than having a poltergeist.” Keith snorted.

“Asshole.” Lance took a hand off the wheel to playfully shove Keith. The car slightly swerved to the right with a screech of protest from Blue. “Come on, baby!” he patted the dashboard in encouragement.

“Do you always drive like this?”

“Like how?”

“Terribly.” Keith deadpanned. 

“Oh ha-ha you’re hilarious, Keith.”

“I’m serious, I’m concerned for my safety!”

“Like I said, Blue will get you from a to b in one piece.”

“Forgive me if I'm skeptical then.” Keith said as he was able to peel away the chipping lining on the dashboard in disbelief. “Where we going to anyway?”

“I’m not going to tell you. It’s a surprise.” 

“You know, when I was little, I think I remember learning you weren’t supposed to get into cars with strangers. Now here I am, years later, in a falling apart car-” he held up the piece of dashboard he peeled away for emphasis, “-with a stranger I met a few hours ago with no idea where I am going. How do I know you’re not taking me somewhere people can’t hear my screams?”

Lance laughed. “I’m pretty sure killing someone on your first date together is considered bad etiquette.”

“So this is what this is? A date? Do I have any say in this? Lance, you should have told me, I would have dressed nicer.” Keith smirked. 

Lance felt his ears heat up at the comment,and he pathetically tried to save face.“Woah-woah-woah I said you can consider me escorting you around town a ‘date’ don’t get ahead of yourself here.”

“Good, I wouldn’t want to go on a date with you anyway.” Keith shrugged, “Can’t imagine anyone who really would.” Keith paused for a moment, afraid that the last comment was a bit too much. He had never met a person until now that had brought this side out of him so easily. There was something about Lance that was so easy, and it kind of scared Keith. 

Lance gasped in false hurt. “I can’t believe you would think that! I’m a terrific date!”

“If you want to tell yourself that.” 

“Whatever Mullet Man, just promise not to fall in love with me these next few weeks.” Lance momentarily took his eyes off the road to wink at Keith. Keith didn’t respond but only rolled his eyes, something Lance was learning was his signature answer.

They drove for a few more moments in comfortable silence with the radio between them playing. It was a station filled with music Keith didn’t know the majority of. He didn’t know music, and it only played what Keith could manage to label as ‘oldies’.

_ Once I thought my innocence was gone _

_ Now I know that happiness goes on _

_ That's where you found me… _

“Is this Billy Joel?” Keith guessed.

Lance smiled as he turned up the volume and rolled down the windows. The wind whipped through his hair, and Billy Joel blasted out of Blue. “Yes!” he yelled. Keith tried to keep his own hair out of his eyes, and watched Lance badly sing along to the radio over the wind whipping through the cabin. He wondered how he got into this situation.That Saturday morning Keith woke up expecting another routine day. The height of excitement came when he had to do laundry or when someone came by while he worked the usual night shift at the gas station. Never would he had expected that by the afternoon he would be in a beat up truck, with a destination unknown, and with a stranger he just met (Keith wouldn’t go as far to say befriend, yet) poorly singing along to the radio. Keith kind of liked it. The difference and spontaneity was nice, and the heaviness that normally sat on his shoulders lifted momentarily.

Lance pulled into a small parking lot of an old, dusty strip mall .  Directly in front of the car was a little shop with a brightly colored sign that said:  **Maria’s Pastries** in a font that was barely legible.

Lance turned off the engine, and looked at Keith, “I like to think no one truly dies happy until they try some of Miss Maria’s cake.”

“So this is the first stop in interesting things in Orange Grove?”

Lance opened the door and hopped out of the car, “Hell yeah it is! And it’s a damn good place to start too!”

Keith followed Lance towards the shop. He passed the big display bay window and stopped. Lance had claimed the cake here was good, but said nothing about them being  _ beautiful _ . In the window sat intricately designed cake samples. Keith wasn’t even sure it was cake, it looked like it was art. All the iced cakes that sat in fridges, in big chain super markets, couldn’t even begin to hold a candle to the ones on display here. They ranged from beautifully ornate, donned with sugar flowers and pearls, to highly realistic renditions of things.

“Wow.” Keith breathed.

“Wows right! If you think that’s good, wait ‘till you actually eat it!” Lance grabbed the handle of the door, and it opened with a charming little ring of a bell overhead. “Come on.”

Keith walked into the shop that was a complete opposite of what he saw outside. Hidden in the brown and dusty strip mall was a bright bakery that smelled amazing. Sugar, fresh cut fruit, and the indistinguishable sweet smells of something baking automatically filled Keith’s nose. It was cozy and he felt at peace, it was as if a benevolent presence welcomed him in much like a mother would. On one wall was a floor to ceiling bookshelf overflowing with cookbooks, cake decorating books, baking books, and magazines. Below Keith’s feet splayed an old school black and white checkered floor that lead to a rustic counter attached to a display case with other pastries ready to go. 

“Hey, Miss Maria!” Lance called into the empty shop. From the depths of the kitchen behind the counter and display case came a colorfully accented voice,

“Lance?” One of the most matronly figures Keith had ever scene came to the front. She was tall with a round, kind face. Her long curly black hair was pulled messily behind her, and her and her apron was covered with flour. 

“Lance!” she cried, “Welcome home, mijo!” She hugged Lance, and took his face in her hands. “How are you?”

Lance laughed, “I’m good. How are you doing? How’s the shop?”

“I’m fantastic now! The shop is doing great, but I’m so glad too see you. It’s been too long.”

“I know!”

They continued their excited conversation, and Keith was afraid that this was going to be a trend with Lance and the trips he said he was going to take him on. He felt a little uncomfortable seeing all the emotional reunions Lance was having. It seemed like all the people Lance had left in Orange Grove loved him, and were waiting for his return. It’s something Keith never really had and never will experience. His heart sank a bit before Miss Maria snapped him back into reality.

“And who’s this handsome young man? Is he a friend from school?” she asked.

Lance grabbed Keith closer by the sleeve of his shirt. “This is Keith! He actually lives here in Orange Grove!”

Maria looked at Lance with a disbelieving smile. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Nope! I just met him a few hours ago at the library. He lives in the Apartments”

Her eyes widened, “This is him? This is the stranger in town?”

“Is that what you’ve been calling him?” Lance laughed.

“No one knows his name, and we barely see him out! It’s what we’ve been calling him for the last few months.”

Keith felt sheepish being talked about like he wasn’t in the room, and he subconsciously cleared his throat. Both of them looked at Keith. Miss Maria took one of his hands, “Oh mijo, it’s so good to finally meet you. I’m Maria.”

Keith squeezed her warm hand, “It’s nice to meet you too.” 

She patted his cheek leaving remnants of flour there. “I’m just disappointed this is the first I talk to you. You’ve been the talk of the town, you know.” She threw him a sly smile. Keith actually felt a little guilty about the last few months and his decision to be a shut in. 

“Don’t be too hard on him, Keith’s shy.”

She clucked in sympathy, “O, pobrecito.” She patted his cheek again. She looked at both Keith and Lance. “Alright. Who wants cake?”

Lance bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, like little kid, and shouted,“Yay!”

“You and Keith sit down and I’ll get you guys something good!” Miss Maria warmly smiled.

“But everything you make is good!”

She readjusted her apron and threw Lance a wink over her shoulder. Keith and Lance took a seat at the table in front of the bay window.

“So, you’ve made yourself into Orange Grove’s own Boo Radley now, have we?”

“I wouldn’t describe it that severely...I go out occasionally."

“Hm, not good enough.” Lance chuckled. “It’s like you’re some strange, dark apparition the occasionally pops up”

“Not true. People see me. I mean I work at the Gas Station.”

Lance’s eyebrows shot upward. “You got a job at Malcom’s Gas Station? No Way!”

“Uh yeah I did. Why?”

“That’s like the sweetest get up there is. It’s such an easy job. Everyone wants it.”

“No one was lobbying real hard for it when I applied.”

“What? Really?”  
“Yeah, I work the graveyard shift.”

Lance whistled and sat back down, all his excitement gone. “That’s why. Everyone wants to work there, but no one wants the shit hours.”

Keith shrugged. “The hours aren’t so bad, I’ve always been a night owl anyway.”

Lance hummed in response.

Maria brought out two large plates and set them with a flourish on the table between them. “Thank you.” Keith and Lance both said. She ruffled Lance’s hair as walked back into the kitchen. 

The largest piece of chocolate cake Keith had ever seen sat in front of him. What he initially thought was a huge stripe of frosting down the center was actually home made cookies and cream ice cream sandwiched between two warm pieces of chocolate cake. The whole thing was drizzled in chocolate ganache and topped with fresh strawberries. It was probably one of the best things Keith had ever tasted. The ice cream alone was great, but the cake was out of this world. 

“Oh my god.” was all Keith could say.

Lance looked up from demolishing his own piece of cake. “I know right!” He mumbled with his mouth full of chocolate. They ate in silence because that’s was the only thing one could do when eating amazing cake. They finished, and sat back both satisfied. 

“That was fucking amazing!” 

“I know.” Lance smiled.

“How is she not famous for her cake, let alone her decorating skills?” Keith asked.

Lance’s smiled grew wider. “Oh, she is.”

“Woah! Really?”

“Yeah!” Lance said while he got up from the table and walked over to the bookshelf. He scanned the shelves until he found the magazine he was searching for. Lance handed a magazine to Keith a beautiful cake on the front. The cake was three tiers of quilted champagne fondant, and very indentation was meticulously filled with sugar pearls.The cake rose from a stand of erupting white sugar lilies, and sugar lace flowed down the side. “She made that one on the front cover.”

Keith looked back up at Lance in disbelief while he continued to hand him more magazines with her cakes on them, or mentions of her name in big letters across the cover. “Miss Maria is the star of Orange Grove.” He beamed.

After Lance had shown Keith all the magazines he could, answered all his questions, and then called over Miss Maria so Keith could ask her additional questions, they decided to head out. They began to walk out of the pastry shop with a chorus of goodbyes. As Keith opened the door, Miss Maria pulled Lance back a moment. In hushed spanish he heard:

“ Este chico es guapo.”

“Ay, Tia-”

“Lance, escúchame.” 

“El es un amigo.”

“Lance…”

“Okay. Okay. Okay!” Miss Maria flashed Lance a devilish smile, and gave him a playful little smack. “I’m leaving now!” Lance gave her a kiss on the cheek and headed out with Keith. 

“Adios Mijo! Hey, you and Keith come back anytime!”

The door closed behind Lance and Keith with that charming little bell overhead. 

“What was that about?” Keith smiled, quirked browed.

“Oh it’s nothing-same old stuff. Do good in school, I love you, blah blah blah.” Lance lied.

“Hm.”

“Uh, yeah.” Was Lance’s intelligent response. 

Lance and Keith hauled themselves into Blue, and Keith continued the conversation. “So is Miss Maria related to you?”

Lance laughed. “No, but she’s practically my second mom. I spent a lot of time in her kitchen when I was younger.”

“I thought you spent a lot of time in the library when you were younger?”

“That too.” Lance smiled and began the whole ordeal it was to get Blue to start up. It took a few key turns, and a few encouraging words from Lance to get things rolling. All Keith could do was watch with a concerned expression. At last Blue’s engine started with the same protesting noises of metal on metal. Lance pulled out of the strip mall parking lot, and headed down the main road again. ‘So how does today’s adventure end?”

“Oh, you can just drop me off at the library, again. My car is there.” Keith shrugged.

“Alrighty.” 

The air between them was filled with radio, still spitting out old songs, heat, and the blanketing smell of citrus that hung around the town. Funny, Keith never realized the smell until now. He wondered why that was.

Lance dropped Keith off next to his still sorry looking red Civic. “So, Mullet Man, when do I get to see you next? More importantly, when will our next adventure ensue?”

“I have another library shift tomorrow afternoon.” Keith hauled his backpack out of Blue’s dusty bed.

“Sweet, you’ll be here for the surprise party, then.” Lance said 'surprise' with air quotes.

Keith smiled, “Okay. I thought you weren't supposed to know anything about the party?”

“Oh, right! Forgot.”

“Yeah and make sure you remember to forget tomorrow too.”

“Don’t worry I will.” Lance began to drive away, and Keith patted the side of Blue,

“Don’t forget to practice your surprised face!” He called after Lance, and Blue gave a honk in response. 

Keith watched Lance go off, before turning to his own car. If Lance called his car Blue, why couldn’t he have a name for his? He never thought about giving his Civic a nickname, until now. As unoriginal as it was, he liked the ring Red had to it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Miss Maria is based off my own aunt, where she calls everyone she meets, who is younger than her, Mijo/mija, and she makes the best cake I've ever eaten.

**Author's Note:**

> Can anyone spot the sneaky little In the Heights Lyric I put in the dialogue?


End file.
